Ricky Gervais was looking for something totally unlike his hit comedy "The Office" when he decided to do a different show — but maybe the character he plays on HBO's "Extras" isn't completely different after all.
Oh, the original British version of "The Office" (not to be confused with NBC's American version) was an ensemble comedy that pretty much took place at one place — the office where David Brent (Gervais) was the boss.
"Extras," on the other hand, has only two continuing characters — Andy Millman (Gervais again) and Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen), a couple of would-be actors (who would be actors if only they had any talent).
Andy is definitely not David. But there are some similarities.
"I'm a very limited actor," Gervais joked in a satellite interview with TV critics. "So if I can just turn out the same stuff until I can't really can't act anymore, which isn't long, I wouldn't have thought."
"Some would say you can't act already," interjected Stephen Merchant, Gervais' writing partner (who plays his incompetent agent in four of the six "Extras" episodes).
Gervais said his two characters end up in situations where some of his "favorite themes" are explored — "men being boys, being called out, lying, getting your come-uppance, ego, desperation . . . the social faux pas, excruciating embarrassment." But in "Extras," his new character actually has "human behavior." "I think he's different in many, many ways to Brent. He's self-aware. He's a lot more confident. He's actually a genuine, quite funny, clever bloke. He's much more like the real me, some would say."
He's also very funny, in a very Gervais sort of way. In Sunday's episode (11:30 p.m., HBO), Andy tries to finagle his way into a speaking role in a movie — a tragic tale of a man whose wife was killed in Bosnia — that's being directed by Ben Stiller.
"People like Ben Stiller are great because they'll just play around with the ideas you've given them and they can improvise brilliantly," Merchant said.
GERVAIS HAS WRITTEN an episode of "The Simpsons" that will air sometime in 2006 — something that happened after he had been asked to do a guest voice on the animated series.
"I just think they got bored and said, 'Do you want to write it as well?' " Gervais said. "I went, 'All right.'
"So I put a few things down, sent it to them. They made it really good and they just gave me the credit because I think it's easier than an argument. Because I whine, I cry, I take my clothes off sometimes and stomp around. And they didn't want to see that at all."
WHILE THE AMERICAN VERSION of "The Office" has gotten mixed reviews — and lousy ratings — Gervais has nothing but praise for it. Although he did point out that he had "hardly any input" into the NBC comedy.
"I think it's fantastic," he said. "I think they did a brilliant job. They didn't sell out. They kept true to the blueprint of 'The Office,' but they made it their own."
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com